The Voice
by vivalablond
Summary: It was the voice that haunted him every night since that terrible shipwreck. The voice that had etched itself permanently into his memory. That wonderful, Siren's voice that had awoken him, drawn him out of the depths of his unconscious state as he lay on the warm sand, his body bruised and beaten by the cruel storm at sea.
1. Guessing Games

Prince Eric draped his coat over the poor, mute girl who was soaking from head to toe.

"Here, Ariel, take this." He said, wrapping it around her thin, shivering figure. "I've sent for Grimsby, he should be coming with a carriage any moment now."

The girl hugged his warm coat and nodded.

She stared at him, wide-eyed and trusting, a small smile playing on her coral-colored lips.

He recognized that look. She'd given it to him often. That look of complete innocence, total honesty, and admiration on her face, trusting every word that came out of his mouth. He couldn't explain why or how, but it made him feel ten feet tall.

"That was a close call, wasn't it?" He said, referring to their unfortunate tumble into the lagoon. His mind reeled back to the moments just before their small boat tipped over, when they were just about to...He was afraid to say it, let alone think it. To kiss? Was that what he was trying to do?

Something strange welled up inside of him, threatening to burst out. All he could do was let out an uncomfortable laugh as she continued to look at him.

He felt like he needed to say something to acknowledge their awkward situation, maybe apologize. But was he to apologize for trying to kiss her or for not kissing her? He didn't know which so he stayed silent, wishing now more than ever before, that Ariel could speak and make this more bearable. He wasn't too good with words anyway.

He finally spotted Grimsby making his way down the road in a carriage. Once it arrived, he helped Ariel inside and climbed in after her.

The trip back to his castle was quiet, just as he suspected it would be. Ariel was preoccupied with staring out the window, looking at everything they passed by. She twirled the ends of her fiery red hair absently, her eyes taking in what seemed to be a brand new world.

He liked the girl, he'd admit that to himself. She was pretty, beautiful even. Those captivating, blue eyes of hers made him catch his breath every time he looked into them. A deep green-blue, mirroring the waves of the sea. He felt he could get lost in those eyes.

But yet...she did not speak.

And, he wouldn't lie, it bothered him. In fact, he was slightly disappointed when he first found out she was mute. Ariel looked exactly how he imagined the girl of his dreams would look like, the girl who rescued him from his death, the one he heard singing beside him all those nights ago.

He stared at the back of Ariel's head, studying her posture, her hands, the various flecks of red in her hair. His heart ached to hear her voice.

A person's voice was a tool of expression, a venue for thought, a way to communicate.

The more he got to know the red-headed girl, the more he longed for a deeper connection, a way to communicate with her aside from her hand signaling, arm waving, and finger pointing. These guessing games were often frustrating and confusing. He'd watch helplessly as she tried to convey her thoughts and would feel sorry for her when he couldn't seem to guess what she wanted to say.

Wasn't communication the key to every relationship? He had so many things he wanted to ask her. Like why was she mute? Where was she born and how did she arrive at his kingdom? What was her favorite thing to do? What sort of food did she like? There was so much about her that was left in mystery and in darkness.

She brought her legs up, her knees under her chin, and curled into herself. He sensed a sadness about her as they rode near the coast. What was she thinking about? Did she miss her family? Did she even have one?

He closed his eyes and sighed, feeling tired. So many guessing games.


	2. Storm

They were riding across the kingdom on horseback, her laughter clean and bright in the crisp, morning air.

They were in his father's old library, poring over books and discussing their themes.

They walked along the coast, swimming and splashing in the water, her squeals of delight dancing across the green-blue waves.

They sat in front of the fireplace as he played a beautiful, haunting melody on his flute and she sang along.

These were just a few of the many scenarios Eric had dreamt of the night before. Dreams of a possible future with that Ariel girl. Only...all of them involved her either speaking, laughing, or singing. It didn't make sense to him.

He knew she was mute. He did not know, however, if at one point in her past, she was able to speak or not. Perhaps some tragic event had rendered her speechless and she hadn't recovered since. He wished he could ask her. And even if he did, it's not like she could tell him the truth anyway.

But in his dreams...something deep inside of him gave her a voice. The voice that had etched itself permanently into his memory. One that he could recognize at any given second. It was the voice that haunted him every night since that terrible shipwreck. That wonderful, Siren's voice that had awoken him, drawn him out of the depths of his unconscious state as he lay on the warm sand, his body bruised and beaten by the cruel storm at sea. But when he opened his sore eyes, all he caught was a blurry glimpse of green-blue and stark red. (If he thought hard about it, he could've sworn he'd seen the silhouette of a face too.)

And then, nothing. Nothing but the blue sky above him. He sat up straight, looking around frantically. No sign of anyone around.

So why had he subconsciously given Ariel that voice in his dreams? It could not possibly belong to her. She was not the same girl who had saved him from his death. He had already established that in his mind.

Of course, there was the curious fact that he had found her in the same exact place where he had found himself washed up after the storm. And her red hair, the same red hue he had just briefly seen after waking up. And her eyes...

Eyes that belonged to someone real, someone present. Ariel was substantial. She lived and breathed and existed, unlike the girl of his dreams, a girl he could not even fully imagine because he did not know what she looked like. What if he ended up waiting his entire life for her and he never found her? What a waste that would be. Maybe Grimsby was right. Wouldn't it be better to settle for someone he could actually see, hear, and touch? Someone who was right here, right now?

Yet that voice had bound itself to his heart. He had woken up that sunny morning with a feeling he'd never encountered before. The voice had stirred something inside of him. It had awoken the feeling of love.

He couldn't help thinking that marrying someone else would be akin to betrayal.

He wished he knew Ariel's full story. He wished he would stop falling for this beautiful redhead because she had inadvertently found a place in his heart and was quickly replacing the mysterious girl with the voice. He wasn't sure if he liked that.

Eric didn't know what to do.


End file.
